Frank: The former prime minister has said it is 'sad' people want to disrupt his promotional tour

Tony Blair was accused of 'running scared' last night after he
scrapped a book signing event in London tomorrow because of threatened
protests.

The former Prime Minister abandoned the planned session after eggs
and shoes were thrown at him during a similar event to promote his
autobiography, A Journey, in Dublin at the weekend.

Protest groups had promised a major demonstration outside the
flagship Waterstone's store in Piccadilly if the event went ahead
tomorrow.

Mr
Blair said he was worried that the British National Party could also
stage a protest.

However other anti-war protests are still planned, with the Stop the War Coalition threatening a mass demonstration during his visit to the capital's Tate Modern.

Eggs and shoes were thrown by demonstrators at a previous signing in
Dublin.

The former prime minister said it was 'sad' that people wanted to disrupt such
events but indicated he may call it off amid evidence that other
hostile groups were set to join in.

Speaking on ITV1's new
Daybreak programme about his book he said: 'To be frank
about it, I am concerned. I do not want to put everyone through a lot
of cost and hassle on this Wednesday's signing so I am thinking about
that.'

He said the Metropolitan Police were 'fabulous and they will do
whatever we ask them to do' but should not be asked to commit resources
unnecessarily.

The cost of policing his appearance at the Chilcot Inquiry this year was £270,000.

The former prime minister added: 'The book is
selling fantastically. There are people - particularly now the BNP
apparently say they want to get in on the action - you end up just
causing a lot of hassle for people and cost when there are better
things for the police to do and it's not as if we need to do it.

'It is sad at the same time, frankly. If people want to have a book
signed, people should protest but not try and physically prevent you
doing it.'

Mr Blair chose the launch edition of the new breakfast show for his
first live TV interview in the UK since the publication of the book.

He
arrived at the studio in a black BMW at 7.50am under heavy security but
waved to the crowd of waiting photographers as he got out of the
vehicle and went inside the building without stopping to speak.

Back in the spotlight: Mr Blair chose to appear on Daybreak with Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley as his first live TV interview in the UK since the publication of his controversial memoirs

Anti-war protest: Signs were put up in windows near the ITV Studios in central London before Mr Blair arrived this morning

A sign in a window opposite the studio entrance read 'Bliar War Crimes'.

One protester offered the chance to box the 'arrogance' out of the former Prime Minister using a Tony Blair punchbag.

Gunshot survivor and former boxer Davidstar Royal King, formerly David Fergus, brought the punchbag to stage his one-man protest against Mr Blair.

During the interview Mr Blair conceded it would be 'very difficult' for him to return to political
life but said he would 'love to' be involved in some way.

Asked about apparent hints of a comeback, he said: 'What did I have in
mind when I said that? I don't know actually because I am sure it would
be very difficult for me to play a part here.

'But what I really wanted to say was that I remain deeply committed to
the country. I love this country and I want to see it do well.'

His 'new life' outside domestic politics had shown him that Britain had
'a lot that we need to do to prepare for the future', he said.

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'Frankly, I doubt there is a way I can play a part but if I can I would love to.'

Mr Blair's fears of a large demonstration come after he received a barrage of abuse from up to 300 protesters at his first book signing.

Shoes and eggs were thrown at the former prime minister and he was
heckled and jeered as he emerged from his car to enter a Dublin book
store.

Campaigners chanted 'arrest the butcher Blair', 'hey hey Tony hey,
how many kids have you killed today?' and 'Tony Blair war criminal'.

A
small number of arrests were made as activists carrying signs and
banners clashed with gardai as they tried to push down a security
barrier outside the Eason store on Dublin's main thoroughfare O'Connell
Street.

Some of the hundreds that queued in the rain to meet Mr
Blair, who is promoting his controversial memoir around the country,
were abused by protesters as they left the store.

Undercover
detectives earlier mingled with the crowds taking names from known
activists before Mr Blair arrived, as four riot vans waited nearby.

Not welcome: Protesters clashed with police as Tony Blair attended his first book signing at an Eason bookstore in Dublin

Put-off: Mr Blair arrived at the book signing in Dublin flanked by security, above, but is considering calling off his signing in London because evidence suggests hostile groups could join in with a planned protest

When the situation became tense shops in the area closed down, with Penny's department store pulling down its shutters as scuffles broke out.

Gardai also blocked off half of O'Connell Street and nearby Abbey Street, shutting down the city's tram service.

After just over two hours Mr Blair left the store and hundreds of protesters booed

As
his car sped away with a garda escort, line of officers were forced to
stand across the glass front of the bookshop to stop angry
demonstrators getting in to the building - which is only doors from
Dublin's historic GPO, a symbol of the 1916 Easter Rising.

Richard Boyd-Barrett, of the Anti-War Movement, accused Mr Blair of making blood money from the memoirs.

'It really is shameful that somebody can be responsible for the death and destruction that he was responsible for in Iraq and Afghanistan and walk away without any accounting for that and become a very wealthy man off the back of it,' he said.

Pensioner Maureen Hedderman who lives in London, but comes from the
border county of Monaghan, was among the many supporters in the city.

'I appreciate what he did for Irish politics, particularly along the border, that's why I've come,' she added.

Kate O'Sullivan, who attempted to make a citizen's arrest on Mr
Blair, said: 'Immediately five security people grabbed me, started
dragging me off.

'I cried out "there was half a million people dead in Iraq, how can you live with yourself, you've committed war crimes".'

Mr Blair's promotional tour has included an appearance on Irish television alongside reality TV duo
Jedward.

He was a guest on the Late, Late Show with Ryan Tubridy, and later posed for
photos with the X Factor duo.

Bad publicity: Mr Blair has been criticised for writing his memoir and an appearance alongside Jedward may not have done his reputation any favours

The former prime minister has also used a newspaper interview to launch an attack today on the liberal prison policies being pursued by the coalition Government.

Mr Blair - who famously promised to be 'tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime' - said he 'profoundly disagrees' with the approach of Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke, who has rejected the 'prison works' mantra of previous administrations.

The former PM's comments, in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, amount to his first direct policy assault on the coalition since David Cameron won power from Labour in May.

Mr Clarke has challenged the trend towards larger prison populations and questioned the need for short sentences, suggesting the Government could save money by locking up fewer offenders and focusing more on rehabilitation.

But Mr Blair told the Telegraph: 'You've got to put in prison those who deserve to be there.'

He said 'dysfunctional families who produce 14-year-old kids stabbing one another to death' are 'making people's lives hell' and suggested Britain could learn from developing countries which 'just don't accept' criminality.